NGC 1332

Lore & Background

NGC 1332 is an early-type elliptical galaxy, characterized by old, red-colored stars and very little ongoing star formation. The lack of star formation in such galaxies appears to start at the center and slowly propagate outward. It was discovered by William Herschel on 9 December 1784. One supernova, SN 1982E, was observed in NGC 1332 on 29 March 1982 by Marina Wischnjewsky; its type is unknown and its magnitude was 14.

The galaxy is known for its supermassive black hole, whose mass was measured in 2016 by a team from the United States and China using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). The black hole's mass is about 660 million solar masses, with an uncertainty of just 10%. This black hole is the most massive in the Eridanus Cluster, exceeding even that of NGC 1399, the central galaxy of the Fornax Cluster.

Reader's Guide

NGC 1332 holds significance as the brightest member of its own group and as a prominent member of the Eridanus Cluster, a large collection of about 200 galaxies. Its supermassive black hole, measured with high precision by ALMA in 2016, is the most massive known in the Eridanus Cluster, surpassing the black hole of NGC 1399, the central galaxy of the Fornax Cluster. This measurement, with an uncertainty of only 10%, provides a key data point for understanding black hole scaling relations in early-type galaxies. The galaxy's elliptical morphology and early-type classification place it among older, redder galaxies with minimal star formation, a process that appears to cease from the center outward. The single observed supernova, SN 1982E, adds to its observational history, though its type remains unknown. NGC 1332's discovery by William Herschel in 1784 connects it to the early cataloging of deep-sky objects.

Did You Know?

• It is an almost edge-on elliptical galaxy with a Hubble classification of E.
• Its supermassive black hole has a mass of about 660 million solar masses, measured with 10% uncertainty.